I am starting a series on podcasting myths, Apple has a “New and Noteworthy” section in their app that 15 years ago when there were maybe 1000 podcasts would give you a significant bump in your downloads. Please check your calendar and repeat after me, “15 YEARS.”
Much like Bigfoot, the longer the myth is repeated the larger it becomes. Five years ago I made a video with LOTS of other podcast consultants all saying, “New and Noteworthy is a Waste of time.” So why are we still talking about it in 2022?
Sleazy Salespeople Selling You Hope
Some marketers can point to podcasters who produce quality content and then say, “The first thing that successful podcaster did was get into Apple's New and Noteworthy, and I can get you there. For just three easy payments of….” and because they are such good marketers they have you believing that this is THE ONLY way to success. The bad news is this is not true – at all. Another thing you will hear is “You only have eight weeks to get into New and Noteworthy,” which, again is so easy to bust this myth. I am amazed anyone believes this. But these salespeople prey on the uninformed.
Why The New and Noteworthy Myth Bothers Me
I have seen people that will launch their podcasts with decent content, and they start to build a little momentum. However, because they have been convinced that if you don't get your show in New and Noteworthy, your show will NEVER be a success, you do one of two things:
- Take all the hard work you put together and throw it away and quit podcasting altogether.
- Take all the hard work, and relaunch in such a way that you lose all of your audience.
Number 2 is like someone driving from Akron, Ohio, north to Cleveland. On the way there, they find out they took a wrong turn. Their solution is to drive back to Akron and start over. That would be ridiculous. You make changes from where you are and continue toward your goal.
The Reality of a Podcast Launch
Unless you have a budget, a following, lots of connections, or all of the above, it will take years to build a considerable audience. There are things you can do to speed things up, but it all starts with making amazing content – and when you first start out, you're probably not there yet. We all start from someplace; remember, you can't improve what you can see.
The Rise of Bad Podcast Advice
As a myth that I thought was long dead, I was really surprised to hear this on a podcast about podcasting on December 19th, 2022. I truly don't understand how someone doing a podcast about podcasting would perpetuate this bogus advice. Then it dawned on me.
Everyone and their brother right now has a giant erection for ChatGPT. This is an “artificial intelligence” tool that looks almost impressive. It can only rearrange a regurgitate old information. AI doesn't do any research (where 5 minutes will show you New and Noteworthy is a waste of time). The sad news is I hear people talking about creating entire courses using AI.
My intelligence isn't artificial. It's based on 17 years of experience in podcasting. You can pay the three easy payments from the hope salesmen, or you can work with me. Bring a ton of passion for your subject and a willingness to serve your audience. Let's see what we can do together.
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